Weekend round up – 16th October 2011 #F1 #NASCAR #BTCC #Indycar

Toggle & I are up and about early for tea and toast and tend to check for the US results that have come in after our (early) bedtime. So to open up the computer before dawn this morning and be greeted by the news from Vegas was a real shock. We’ll come back to IndyCars at the end of the round up, but RIP Dan Wheldon and thanks for all the memories. Condolences to the Wheldon family and our thoughts are with the whole Indy racing community and to all those fans, officials and corner workers at the track whose night ended so tragically.

#F1 Korean GP – So Seb wins another one, but redemption for Lewis? Certainly that was a much more committed and confident looking performance both in qualifying and the race. And as for Massa’s claims that Hamilton is dangerous, well it didn’t stop Webbo having the confidence in him to go wheel to wheel on a few occasions do it? Like Lewis, Felipe is in a dark place right now and needs some good results too.

A horrible track though, and where were the crowds again? The rubbish places the circus has to go to these days in search of Bernie’s dollars.

#NASCAR – Has the #48 resurgence come to an end? After two good results to lull back and early contact with the wall sends JJ to pretty much the back of the pack in the race and a big tumble in the points. A good day for the Blue Oval boys though, with 4 cars in the top 7. Good to see the RPM cars doing well again and maybe we’ll get to see the #43 back in victory lane again soon.

Five races to go and  fairly open still.

#BTCC – Well done Matt Neal on another title. DJ is old enough to have seen your Dad racing.

#IndyCar – What can we say? Motor racing is dangerous and times like this bring back the immortal words of Sid Collins from Indy in 1964. You can find the full text of his eulogy to Eddie Sachs elsewhere in our archives here (perhaps because of yesterday’s tragedy that post has had over 100 hits today alone).

There is no point saying that the track is at fault. There have always been dangerous tracks and Motor Sport featured various views on Spa in its old guise last month as an example. For our US friends, maybe Langhorne Speedway would be an appropriate equivalent, albeit for different reasons? If you take away the danger you take away the sport. Losing someone is always hard, but as long as we race there will always be the risk that it will happen.

Best wishes to Pippa, Will and JR for speedy recoveries. Congratulations to Dario and his team for another title, commiserations to Will and Penske for coming up just a touch short again.

We’ve been critical here of the Indy organisers for some of what they’ve done in recent times, but have to hand it to them for the dignified way they seem to have handled yesterday’s events and plans for the awards ceremony. You did the right thing. And the 5 lap tibute was a nice touch.